7 Things You Didn’t Know About Christmas

By now you’re planning Christmas at your church. How about a few interesting tid bits of trivia to get you further into the Christmas spirit? Use these trivia bits to change your perspective on Christmas or to use as trivia on your screens before service.

1. Puritans made it illegal to celebrate Christmas in 1659 because they thought the holiday was too pagan.

2. The Star of Bethlehem may have actually been the planet Uranus, which passed close to Saturn and Venus around the time scholars believe Jesus was born.

3. Martin Luther was the first person to decorate a Christmas tree with lights. He reportedly first decorated his tree with candles because he loved the way stars shone between branches of a fir tree.

4. St. Francis of Assisi was the first to introduce carols to a church service.

5. Silent Night was written and performed first on a guitar because the church’s organ was too rusty to be played.

6. In Britain it’s mandatory to go to church on Christmas day, although the law certainly isn’t enforced.

7. The average Christmas shopper will be elbowed at least three times while shopping.